Curse:

Dawn came and the rising sun found the blond Makai Knight seated in the same position on the Mills' roof that she'd been in the whole night through. Just as the morning rays reached her closed eyes, Emma awoke and moved for the first time in hours. She stood, casually walked to the edge of the roof without any sign of being stiff from her hours in one position, and then just as casually stepped off the slanted platform and fell to the front yard. She walked up to the front door and judged her timing based on the noises she heard from inside the house, before pressing the doorbell. From how quickly the door was opened, she guessed that the bell had rung right as Regina was walking past the front door, and from her appearance, she'd only just woken up and had been on her way to the kitchen to make coffee.

"You!" the sleepy-eyed brunette in silk pajamas and robe snarled.

"Me!" Emma said cheerfully with a bright smile, by all appearances fully refreshed.

"I thought you'd left, Ms. Swan," the mayor said, keeping her hand on the door, in preparation for slamming it in the blond's face.

"I didn't," she shrugged noncommittally.

"What are you doing here?" Regina finally asked her, unable to fathom any reason for this woman to ring her bell at the crack of dawn.

"You got coffee?" Emma asked, rather than answer the question.

"There's a diner downtown, called Granny's, they have great coffee I hear," she said, tightening her grip on the door.

"I'm here to continue our conversation from last night," Emma smiled. "And I think having it over coffee would be more constructive than alcohol. Also, for this part of the conversation, I can guarantee that you do not want it to be had in public."

Regina opened her mouth to retort, but Emma stopped her cold by finishing her statement with two words.

"Your Majesty."

Regina's mouth snapped shut with an actually audible click.

"May I come in, please?" Emma asked.

Regina almost refused her. Every instinct in her body, everything she'd ever learned, known, or experienced, every part of her that made her who and what she was, all of it was telling her to refuse the woman access to her home, and to bring everything she had to bear against the interloper. An extra part, one might call it fear or survival instinct, added that she should take Henry and run as fast and as far as possible. Across realms if she had to. Against all of that though, she simply stepped aside, holding the door open and allowing the birth mother of her son into their home once again.

"Thank you," Emma nodded, and then entered.

"May I take your coat?" Regina asked once the knight was inside, since they were being polite and all.

"Yes, thank you," the blond then flipped her coat off her shoulders, making it look smoother and fluid than the queen had ever seen somebody remove a garment before. What was most interesting was that somehow the silver and gold armband that had been on her right bicep, on the outside of the coat, was still on her right bicep. There'd been no indication of her taking it off and putting it back on in the maneuver.

After hanging the red leather coat, which was heavier than it looked, on the coat rack by the door, Regina turned back and froze at the new sight before her.

"What the hell is that?!" she snapped, pointing.

Looking down at what she was pointing, Emma just smiled and answered honestly, "My sword. Don't worry, it stays with me. I'll start the coffee."

"I will not have weapons brought into my home!" Regina cried, following after her.

"The sword will remain sheathed, and don't worry, Henry wouldn't even be able to pick it up, let alone draw it to hurt himself," she assured the disheveled woman as she started preparing the coffee maker.

"Who… what are you, Ms. Swan?" Regina demanded, too tired and caffeine deprived to be any more subtle about it.

"My name is Emma Swan," she confirmed once the coffee was filling the pot, "And I am Henry's birth mother. I confirmed that before going anywhere with him. As for what I am…" she eyed the woman, silently judging for several moments before finally answering, "I am a Makai Knight of the Makai Order. The order is an ancient organization whose sole purpose is to protect humanity from demons that are known in every language as Horrors."

"You're delusional!" Regina exclaimed, her eyes wide with fright.

"The day I was found by the Order was apparently the day of my birth," Emma told her. "Apparently I appeared out of an exploding tree. The oldest tree in the Makai Forest as a matter of fact. Exactly twenty-eight years ago, yesterday." By now the coffee was ready, so Emma occupied her hands by getting down cups and filling them with the dark liquid. "How do you take your coffee?"

"Uh, black," Regina answered, briefly at a loss. After taking her first sip of the steaming drink, allowing the caffeine to revitalize her, she finally spoke. "So you're saying you were born out of a tree, and that you're a magic knight for a secret organization that hunts… demons? I think I understated it when I called you delusional."

Emma smirked, before producing an ofuda, a rectangular slip of paper with "Chinese" symbols (actually Makai characters forming a spell) on it and flicked it onto the counter in front of the queen. It immediately lit up with a brilliant golden glow and a three dimensional light construct of the house appeared before the woman's eyes. It was incredibly detailed, down to the furniture and pictures and people inside it. As a testament of her resolve, she managed to keep her hand on her coffee mug rather than drop or spill it, but she was no less stunned for a multitude of reasons.

"That's impossible!" she whispered, her voice hoarse from shock.

"Just a minor protection," Emma shrugged, pulling an ornate 'paint' brush from behind her back, pointing it at the light construct, the white bristled tips lighting up with the same golden glow before the model house was surrounded by a transparent bubble of energy. Once the process was complete, the light construct faded and the ofuda was absorbed into the house, appearing to melt away.

"How did you do that? There's not supposed to be magic here!" Regina shouted.

"Mom?" a tired voice came from the kitchen entrance.

Both women turned at the voice and saw Henry, still in his pajamas, standing there, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. Once he had, his whole face lit up and he exclaimed, "Emma!"

"Hey kid," the blond nodded, putting away her Makai Brush. She didn't use it that often, but she still tried my make sure she stayed in practice. "Just getting to know your mom. You drink coffee yet?"

"No!" he actually recoiled at the prospect.

"Well, while your mom and I discuss this whole curse business, why don't you help with breakfast. You get the drinks and I'll get the eggs?" she suggested.

"Excuse me!" Regina loudly protested. Both of them looked at her. "I fix Henry's breakfast every day, so why don't you sit down and explain yourself, Ms. Swan, while I prepare our meal. Henry, if you could get the dishes… for our guest as well?"

"Uh, sure, Mom?" he was very confused, but decided to go with it anyway.

"Well, Ms. Swan?" Regina shot her a pointed look.

Emma raised her hands in mock surrender and moved over to the other side of the counter. Seeing that her host was now dealing with a hot stove and cooking, she held off on the more… startling topics of conversation she wanted to deal with. For now.

"So it's true?" Henry asked, once he had the plates out. "You are the Evil Queen, and everybody is a fairy tale character!" He was smiling brightly, finally being vindicated for his belief.

Regina visibly hesitated, about to argue to the opposite, but Emma saw her hesitation and would not stand for anything less than the truth in this circumstance.

"Yes, Henry," Emma confirmed, daring the other woman to challenge her in this moment. "It's true. Also, she never forgot. Near as I can tell, she is who she's always been. No Alternate Identity gifted to her by the Curse, just her. Probably had some information that was put in her head so she could integrate, but she was never cursed like everyone else is. Got my proof last night. Hence, our conversation this morning, Your Majesty," she smirked and took a sip of her coffee.

Sighing, Regina knew she had no hope of backtracking things now. That... display of magic changed things more radically than if the Curse had already been broken. The only direction to move now was forward.

"Yes," she sighed, keeping most of her attention on the sausage and eggs. "It's true."

"So..." Henry started to say, a thousand questions on the tip of his tongue.

"Kid," Emma interrupted, silencing him before he could get started. "Not now. Maybe later, if your mom is feeling up to it. For right now, while breakfast is being fixed, why don't you go get ready for the day?"

"Uh..." he looked back and forth between his two 'moms', the emotionally distant one that had raised him was quiet and focusing only on the food in front of her, while the other was staring at the first with a laser intensity that actually kinda scared him. But he wasn't scared of her, more that... and this surprised him as he realized it... that he was scared for his mom, Regina. He wasn't sure he wanted to leave, but a quick look from his dark-haired mother and a reassuring smile from her was enough to convince him. "OK," he said and left.

"You raised him well," Emma said once he'd left the room.

"I know I did," Regina shot back over her shoulder. "What is your excuse for giving him up, I wonder?"

"I gave Henry up because if I had let my Order get even a hint of his existence, well three things would have happened. One, I would no longer be allowed to be a Knight. I would have been confined to Kantai for the duration of my pregnancy, and then forced into being a Priestess, or have my memories wiped and permitted to wander the world. Two, if I stayed with the Order, Henry would have been raised in Kantai with me, and three years ago he would have been offered a choice; to become a Makai Priest, or a Makai Knight. And three, unless he chose to be a Priest, I never would have seen him again save for annual holidays, or after he attained a title and knighthood."

"So instead you chose to send him to Maine and haven't seen him for the past ten years, and wouldn't have ever seen him again if he hadn't gone to find you," the dark-haired woman remarked while scrambling the eggs in the pan. "Great idea."

"I've already explained this to Henry, but what I hunt, what we protect humanity from? Just as an example, the worst thing you've ever done, including cursing this town? The weakest of all Horrors would already have your body count beat, and been far more creative in how they corrupted, killed, or tortured. Your title may be the Evil Queen, but I've seen true evil, your Majesty, and in my eyes, you're still an innocent."

"Oh really?" Regina scoffed, daring to meet the knight's eyes.

"Really," Emma confirmed, meeting her stare with the truth of what she'd seen.

Regina was the first to look away. Her excuse would be that she was in the middle of cooking and didn't want to burn the eggs. The truth was… far more complex.

"So why are you here?" she finally asked, dishing out portions to each of the plates. "Why come here in the first place, if your… calling is so important?"

"Because my son showed up on my doorstep," Emma said, accepting her and Henry's plates and taking them to the table where places had already been set up. Despite what was probably Henry's intentions, she put herself across from the two Mills. "After addressing the issue of how he found me in the first place, I listened to him. Apparently an enchanted book made its way into his hands and he's since become convinced that the stories in said book are the truth and this town is the result of a curse, cast by the Evil Queen, whom he is equally convinced is you, and that I am the savior prophesied in the book. And judging from your expressions and reactions when the topic came up, I've gotten all the confirmation that I needed."

It was at this point that Henry returned, freshly showered and dressed in his school uniform, minus the jacket and tie. They all sat down at the table to eat and resume the conversation where it had left off.

"So you really believe that fairy tale characters are real and that I've trapped them in a small town in Maine?" Regina asked, her tone dripping with sarcasm as she took a bite of eggs.

"Fairy tale character?" Emma shook her head. "No. Do I believe that in another realm, there are or were people with names like Snow White, Pinnochio, Jiminy Cricket, and titles like Prince Charming and the Evil Queen, who interacted with one another in similar situations to what is characterized in modern fairy tales? Then yes, yes I do. Same that I believe there are planets and stars in the sky instead of holes cut in a giant bowl that the gods put over the sky at night. I've never been to another realm before, but I know they exist. And it didn't hurt that the tree I mentioned I came out of? It looks identical to the 'wardrobe' depicted in Henry's book. The same wardrobe that, according to the story, I was sent through by my parents to escape your curse. That sort of thing is not a coincidence."

"All right," Regina said, putting her fork down. "Cards on the table then. What are you going to do about it?"

Emma smirked and laughed a little. "Would killing you actually end the curse?"

Henry looked up, eyes shooting nervously between the two women, wisely deciding to stay silent.

"No, it wouldn't," she said slowly and deliberately, one might say almost seductively.

"You're telling the truth," Emma shrugged. "So I'm not going to kill you. There would be no point. There probably is some way to reverse it, a self-destruct as it were, some means of letting you wipe the slate clean or cover your tracks after you leave. I'm not interested in that either. And I'm not about to take my only child with me where I go out every night to hunt demons, likely to never come home again."

Henry looked down again, trying to eat as quietly as he could.

"What are you interested in then, dear?" Regina asked.

"I'm interested in this curse of yours," Emma said.

"In breaking it, I assume?" she sighed, leaning away from the table.

"In taking advantage of it," the knight corrected her.

"What?!" both Mills exclaimed together.

"Ever had a murder here? Someone go missing? Crime problem?"

"No, we have a wonderful community, and a quiet…" Regina started to recite the spiel she'd long since memorized to keep questions about anything suspicious in town quiet.

"You have a static population," Emma interrupted her. "So you would definitely notice people missing or anything of that sort. Thing is, Horrors would view this as an all you can eat buffet. For twenty eight years, you've had no murders, no missing persons, and probably nothing more than a minor misdemeanor or traffic violation at worst. This is the safest place on the planet. And I am not exaggerating that in the least, Mayor Mills."

"Well, I can't take all the credit," she leaned forward again, hands folded across her lap.

"No, most of that goes into the barriers you've got in place. That is what I'm interested in," Emma said, folding her own hands. "Kantai is attacked by Horrors on a regular basis, and it is actively protected, but with 'magic' similar to what I displayed earlier, and by a contingent of knights and other protectors. Every major city on the planet, or where there is a significant population of humans, has no more than one Knight and an assortment of Priests protecting the area. I'm responsible for Boston."

She let the concept sink in for a bit before continuing.

"I am good at my job, but even the best of us needs help sometimes. With the kind of protections that you have on this place, we could pull Knights from Kantai and set up other safe zones, where Horrors could never infect the population or harm anyone within the borders. We might even be able to seal off the Netherworld for a time! That's why I need you to teach me whatever you can about this Curse and the Barriers you have on this town!"

"At what price?"

"I'm sure that I can negotiate…" Emma started to say, but Regina cut her off.

"You don't understand," the brunette looked up at her with a hard glare. "Magic always comes with a price. I don't know what is said in this book," she looked between Henry and Emma wildly before continuing, "but I'm fairly certain that it didn't mention the price of the curse, or you wouldn't be asking for it!"

"I don't want the curse," the blond shook her head. "We have no interest in traversing realms. I just need the part relating to the barriers. The part of the curse that keeps people out and the population in. And whatever it is that keeps the inga from gathering into portals. I need to study it and then I'll come up with my own adaptation to get the same effect. Don't really need the alternate identity or stasis spell parts either."

"What are you?" Regina asked, shaking her head.

"I'm a Makai Knight," Emma shrugged and finished her breakfast.

Silent until now, watching the back and forth between his, his moms, Henry decided to get in his two cents while he could. "But what about the curse? You're meant to break it! You're supposed to bring back the Happy Endings!"

Emma barely managed to contain the laughter bubbling up her throat with a quiet snort. When she felt she could control herself once more, she replied, "Well, if I can do so without destroying the barriers that keep the Horrors out, I'll certainly do what I can, but what is this about happy endings?"

"Oh, don't get him started," Regina warned, too late.

"You know, the Happy Endings!" he exclaimed, waving his hands a bit. "Where the heroes find true love after facing incredible hardships and almost dying and losing each other several times, until finally they live happily ever after! Like with Snow White and her Prince Charming? And Cinderella and her Prince, or, or Pinnochio and Geppeto! Red Riding Hood and her Grandma being saved from the wolf! Hansel and Gretel making their way home to their father! The Happy Endings!"

"Happy endings?" Emma looked to Regina for a bit of understanding.

Frowning, the brunette shrugged and sighed. "Supposedly the point at which the 'heroes' attained their reward for facing whatever life lesson challenge and got to live the rest of their lives happily. Personally, I don't understand it either."

"So you kept them from dying in battle?" she asked, perplexed. At their confused looks, she replied, "The 'happiest' ending that a Makai Knight has to look forward to is dying in battle, ending a threat to humanity, saving lives, and protecting those precious to us. To be quite frank about it, I think once the alternate identities are removed, the people of this town should thank this woman. Not only has she extended their lives far past what they would have been, she's protected them from Horrors and death and the disappointment that some happy endings are not all they're cracked up to be."

"Somehow, dear, I don't think thanking me will be on anyone's to do lists," Regina remarked. "And unlike some people, Henry and I still have to prepare for the day. So if you will excuse me?"

"Of course," Emma nodded and stood to her feet. "I'll meet you at your office, to continue our conversation and discuss the price for the barriers around the town."

"You're serious about that?" Regina said, her tone flat.

"Yes," she answered simply and honestly.

"Then I'll see about clearing my calendar," the mayor said. "Henry, despite current events, it is not the weekend, and you will be going to school. Best get ready."

"Listen to your mom, kid," Emma backed up the order. "Best thing that you can do right now is make sure no one suspects anything is different with you, or with your mom. Before any curse is broken, I need to make sure that I won't be condemning these people to the potential death and terror of dealing with Horrors by bringing down the barriers. And if you're in school, I know where you are and that allows me to protect you that much easier."

"Right," Henry nodded and proceeded to go about getting ready for the day.

Watching him leave, Regina shot Emma a dark look before asking, "What exactly have you been discussing with my son, Ms. Swan?"

"See you at the office," Emma smirked at her and left.

A few minutes later, Emma was walking down main street, or what may as well have been called main street, where all the shops and stores and the diner were. There was also a pawn shop at the end just off from the main thoroughfare. Her senses, and Tenka, informed her that was where the other inga-infested human was. The one that probably should not even be considered human in the first place.

Emma avoided the place for now. She wanted to get the lay of the land a bit better before any further confrontations. The diner was an interesting place to start. Knowing that most everyone here were actually fairy tale characters, and though she'd been raised in the heart of southeast Asia, she was fully educated in the Western world and its popular culture, so she decided to do some scouting.

Right outside of Granny's, a woman in her early seventies, give or take 28 years, was placing the specials sign on the walk. Next to her was a young woman dressed in red, whose name tag identified her as Ruby. Just past that, in a hurried walk while she juggled papers in her arms, was a white skinned woman with short cropped jet black hair, dressed in woolen sweaters and a primly buttoned blouse. Something about that one was familiar, but from her skin and hair, she would guess that was Snow White. It helped that her papers and bag showed signs that she was a grade school teacher and Henry had already told her that his teacher was Snow White. She also spotted the therapist, out walking his dalmatian again, Jiminy Cricket, she reminded herself.

A few others stood out, but the majority was a mystery to her. Knowing that most people took a while to 'get ready', caring for their appearances and such, Emma decided to spend her time wisely until the Evil Queen, the mayor was at her office, where they could be assured of privacy. And what better place to observe people than the local watering hole, to turn a phrase.

Two hours later, she'd seen plenty and figured the mayor had to be in her office by now, so she left the diner, paying a decent tip to the interestingly dressed waitress, and made her way to town hall, which she'd gotten directions to during her time in the diner. Sneaking past the equally bored and nervous office workers, she made her way to the mayor's office and silently entered without alerting the sole occupant.

The woman mayor, now dressed in a tight fitting power suit, was staring outside the window down at an apple tree set just behind the building. Her arms were crossed over her midsection, and the look on her face could best be described as contemplative. Rather than wait for her to come out of whatever world she was in and notice her, Emma silently sat down in one of the chairs before the mayor's desk and then louder-than-strictly-necessary cleared her throat. Regina jumped and spun around, shocked to see the person she'd been contemplating sitting there like she'd just arrived for her appointment and actually been there for a while.

"How did you get in here?!" she shouted, turning her fear to anger out of habit.

"I walked in," Emma answered honestly.

"Who let you in here? My secretary? She is fired for this, idiot," Regina mumbled, turning toward her desk and shuffling papers that were already neat and organized. "What are you doing here, Miss Swan?"

"To continue our conversation," she answered, folding her hands in her lap. The way she said it, Regina could almost believe that she was straight up answering the question and not being sarcastic or 'smart', but the daughter of Cora Mills, the Queen of Hearts, wasn't that naïve.

"What is there to continue to discuss?" she deadpanned. "You're delusional, and I have nothing to offer you. It would, quite frankly, be in everyone's best interests if you just leave town and never return. I'll keep a tighter rein on Henry so he doesn't... wander off again."

"Do you really think that's all that happened?" Emma asked. "That he just... wandered off and found me by accident? He searched for me, Mayor Mills. He searched for me and found me. To put it in perspective, you know who the FBI, CIA and the like are, yes?"

"Of course," the mayor replied with a roll of her eyes. "We may be a small town, but we keep up to date with the larger world."

"If they were to start looking for me, for whatever reason, it would take them with all their millions of resources and thousands of agents more than a year to track me down. And even then, without boasting—in fact undermining my skills, they would never be able to track where I was or where I would be without first setting up some kind of ambush or sting operation. Henry... your son did not hire a private detective or security company or even a psychic medium to find me. He found me."

"He could have just looked you up in the phone directory, Miss Swan," Regina pointed out, sitting down in her chair and interlacing her fingers before her on the desk.

Emma raised her eyebrows, silently asking, 'Really?'

"Except you're not in any directory," the brunette answered her own question. "So what you're saying is that you and my son share a... a bond, which enables you to... find one another?"

Emma was briefly concerned, given that the woman looked like she would be physically ill just from saying the words, but she managed to get over it after the words were said.

"I'm saying that there are forces at work that are greater than a former queen made mayor, a young boy looking for family, and a Makai Knight can comprehend," the blond replied.

"You're talking about... destiny? Fate? Prophesy?" The 'sick' look was back, but tempered by her anger.

"All of the above," Emma shrugged.

After a lengthy, tense silence, the mayor finally asked again, "What do you want, Miss Swan? And don't bother with your excuses about negotiating for part of the Curse, part of your delusion, I'm sure. Just tell me the truth. You're here to take Henry away, aren't you?"

Emma shook her head to the negative. "He's safer here than quite literally anywhere else on the planet. You care for him, that much is obvious, and you've given him a good home. Perhaps not as much affection as he desires, but still a good home. When I leave, Henry will stay here. With you."

Regina blinked, surprised that it had been that easy. Or was it?

"What game are you playing at, Miss Swan? I'm warning you, my dear, do not underestimate me."

"If you're about to make some threat about destroying me, please don't bother," Emma sighed. "I face actual threats that can destroy me and a great many more people on a daily basis. A small town mayor where Horrors are no and can be no threat, has no hopes of destroying me, whatever your definition of the word."

"Oh really?" Regina smirked, like she'd suddenly found an Ace in her hand for a straight royal flush. "And what would you say to me inviting these... horrors of yours, to town and introducing them to the population of my fair town?"

Without batting an eyelash, and a far better poker face than Regina held, not that she was bluffing, Emma responded, "Then I would kill you, the pawn shop owner, and anyone else in this little hamlet capable of performing such a threat. Followed by wiping the minds of everyone that ever knew you or them so that it will be as though you never existed. Henry will become an orphan with the most severe case of amnesia seen outside of trauma victims and he will remain safe in this place. Without you of course. And I will leave without doing anything about the curse, destiny be damned."

"You... you're serious?!" Regina leaned back and even backed away from the blond woman sitting across from her desk. "You threaten me...!"

"You threatened first, with something far worse than a handful of human lives," Emma interrupted her.

"You're insane," the mayor declared and reached for something in her desk. She never reached it.

Emma's sword was at her jugular, the brunette never even having seen her move. She knew from before that the self proclaimed knight carried a sword with her at all times, but she'd yet to see her use it. Given the expert and masterful way she wielded it now, Regina knew that whether she was a knight or not, whether she actually fought demons or not, she could use that sword to kill her as easily as Charming ever could have in the Enchanted Forest. Easier now, seeing as she didn't have magic to protect her anymore.

"I can see this is not getting us anywhere," Emma remarked, moving her blade in synch with the mayor's movements so as not to cut her prematurely. "And I'm not about to risk bringing the proof here, so I suppose we'll have to go to where the proof is."

She's right, you are insane.

"What... what was that?" the Evil Queen asked, heavily conscious of the naked blade still at her throat.

"Go for whatever it was you were about to, or anything else, and I cut something off. Whether it is a lock of hair, a finger, or an arm will be up to you, and how much you want to test the 'delusional and insane' woman holding a sword to your neck. All right?"

"All right," Regina whispered, careful not to move her head too much.

The sword was removed just like that, so quickly that it may as well have been poofed out of existence as sheathed and put back into the woman's red coat. Rubbing her neck, which didn't have so much as a scratch, Regina backed away from the desk to the window, asking in a scared whisper, "What are you going to do?"

"You're going to call whoever you need to call and tell them that you're taking some time off. Just a few days. Is there anyone that you trust to take care of Henry in your absence?" Emma asked.

From the mayor's stubborn set of her jaw, she could read the answer in her face, and added, "I understand that under normal circumstances you would not trust anyone to take care of your son, but as I'm sure you've figured out by now, Madam Mayor Mills, these are not normal circumstances. Now answer the question. Is there anyone that you can trust to take care of Henry in your absence?"

Again with that 'sick' look. "Miss Blanchard, his teacher," she finally grated out.

"Make the calls," Emma said, arms crossed.

"Why?" she petulantly snapped.

"Because, Madam Mayor," Emma uncrossed her arms and leaned across the mayor's desk, resting on her closed fists, "I'm kidnapping you. And then I'm using you as bait. Just to show you what a Makai Knight does."

One Day Later:

"AAAAAYYYEEEEEE! AAAAAHHHHH! AAAAAHHHHH!" Regina was screaming.

She'd never screamed like this before. Then again, she'd never had a reason to scream like this before now. Quite frankly, she was surprised at her composure, all things considered.

A day ago, she'd been in her office, trying to figure out a way of dealing with the prophesied Savior, the one destined to break her curse. Then she showed up out of nowhere and after a lot of threats, most of which Regina feared the unreadable blond was more than just capable of going through with, and announced that she was kidnapping the mayor of Storybrooke.

From the moment the woman announced her presence in her office, the mayor had activated a recording device, the microphone to which was centralized around her desk.. Mostly she used it for dictating notes and outlining her plans so she could go over it all in detail later. From the time of her... ex-husband's death, she'd gotten into the habit of voicing her thoughts and plans aloud. The Genie in the Mirror had been a good listener and provided sound advice for bouncing ideas off of.

So when she'd gotten her adversary to admit, on record, to be willing to kill and kidnap people, she believed that she'd won, now having the leverage needed to make her problem go away for good. Then she'd pulled out what Regina had believed was the ace up the Savior's sleeve. She could use magic to wipe out memories. After that she'd gone 'all in' as it were and actually pulled her sword on the mayor in her office! Of course, she'd been going for the... well, the heart in her desk in order to summon the Sheriff to take care of this interloper once and for all, but the knight's sword had stopped her before that could happen.

After that, once she'd promised not to 'go for anything', Emma had sheathed her weapon and introduced her to Tenka, an obviously magical, talking armband on the blond woman's right bicep. She'd even elaborated that 'tenka' meant 'snow' in her native language. Regina had been less than impressed and a bit put off by the talking trinket, no matter how cool Henry thought it was.

Things happened very quickly after that, as Emma countered her at every move she tried to get away from the blond kidnapper or draw attention to her dilemma. Seeing that this was happening, she went ahead and called the school and left a message for Henry to go home with Miss Blanchard, and also spoke with the teacher, asking her to take care of her son. And then to add felony on top of felony, they stole the mayor's own car to facilitate said mayor's kidnapping.

Since Storybrooke's... creation, Regina had only gone beyond its borders a handful of times, with fingers left over. The first time to satisfy her curiosity, she'd gone to the nearest town and been thoroughly disenchanted with the world outside. All the times after that had been about Henry; to pick him up from the adoption agency, the time she'd almost given him up, but thankfully changed her mind at the last moment, and one time when he was six for a health scare, taking him to Boston to see a specialist. So Regina was not scared about leaving Storybrooke. After all she was the only one that safely could, except for Henry obviously.

What she was scared of was what this crazy knight planned on doing with her. All during the drive, that stupidly named piece of jewelry on her arm kept talking about how what Emma was doing was crazy. She ignored it, and Regina when she tried asking what was going to happen next, only ever receiving the vague reply, "You'll see."

They reached Boston by the afternoon, but instead of stopping by Emma's 'temporary' apartment, Emma parked the car in the sub-basement of a parking garage in the middle of the city. She then took the keys with her and left. Regina would have taken the chance to escape, except that she hadn't been allowed to bring any forms of identification with her, and her purse was tossed out the car window just before they'd crossed the town border. So the mayor had no means of convincing anyone in authority, police or otherwise, to help her escape this woman's clutches. And unfortunately, none of the skills she'd worked on over the past three decades included hot wiring a car. Given her options though, she refused to follow this deluded woman around like they were on some quest, so she stayed in the car.

Emma returned an hour later with food, which they both ate in the car. She was then informed, in a mostly sarcastic manner, that she had a hotel room ready, paid for overnight. Or she could sleep in the car.

Never one to give up creature comforts if she didn't absolutely have to, even if it meant the company was less than pleasant, she agreed to the terms and after their late lunch, was lead up to the hotel room, provided with 'overnight clothes' while her suit was dry cleaned, all at the knight's expense of course. The blond then left to 'run errands' and Regina was alone in the hotel room for the rest of the evening. She called Henry, to hear his voice mostly, though she gave the excuse it was just to tell him goodnight. Then she went to bed at her usual time, all the while plotting and trying to think of some way to turn things around.

She woke up about an hour ago now, in the parking garage, the car parked only a few spots from where she now stood. The reason she was here instead of there was made quite plain once she'd woken up.

"Glad you could join us, your Majesty," Emma's voice echoed in the garage.

"What...? Where...?" Regina shook her head briefly and quickly took in her surroundings. The blond was standing in front of her, with her back turned, sheathed sword in hand. Immediately around her was a glowing circle of light, forming a clear and distinct barrier in a diameter of eight feet around her. "What is this, Ms. Swan? I thought we would be sleeping in that lovely little hotel room you procured for us. Is this where you torture me into giving you whatever it is you want? Well, I'm sorry, but magic, my magic anyway, doesn't work in this land. There's nothing that I could do to show you how the, the, what you call the barriers work. So you're out of luck, my dear. How about we go back to the... am I wearing different clothes?"

"Yes," Emma answered, not bothering to look at her.

"How did you... never mind. I don't want to know," Regina shivered. Instead of the nightclothes she'd worn to bed, she was now in sweatpants, sneakers, and what felt like three layers of shirts under the jacket and sweater she'd been put into. "Can we go back to the room now? Or are we returning home prematurely?"

"Remember how I said I was going to show you proof?" she asked instead of answer.

"I vaguely recall you and that... horribly named trinket on your arm mentioning something about that, amidst all the barked instructions to aid in my own kidnapping. Why?"

"You weren't there for that discussion, but suffice it to say, you are stained with inga. It's a word that doesn't really translate, but at the same time every language has a synonym for it," Emma explained.

"Marvelous," Regina rolled her eyes, arms crossed. "Thanks for the language lesson. Can we move on with this? Please?"

"In the language we're using at present, English, the synonym would be; sin."

Finally, Emma turned and looked Regina in the eye. The brunette's jaw was set and she found much to her embarrassment that she could not hold the blond's gaze for very long.

Turning back around, Emma began to pace around the outside of Regina's circle. "Horrors come into being when humans come across a... a portal, for lack of a better term in English, comprised of inga and their own inga, their own sin reacts, opening the portal for the Horror to come through. Horrors then possess the human, devouring their soul in the process, and taking the body for their own. They then go around feeding on other humans. Innocent, for the most part. Certainly not evil or weak as those they possessed. And by feeding, I mean exactly that. They cannibalize other humans, devouring them in a number of different ways, but the fact remains that a Horror's prey are humans."

"What does that have to do with me?" Regina asked, getting suddenly uncomfortable. There was also a sudden chill in the air, which hadn't been there moments before.

"Without going into too much... unnecessary detail, each Horror is a unique... evil. They each have a prey that they appreciate, that they hunt above all others. With two exceptions. These two exceptions, no matter how particular, how old, how skilled, how experienced the Horror is, they will abandon all reason, all instincts telling them otherwise, to hunt and take prey of these particular exceptions, no matter the risk."

"And I suppose you're going to tell me what those exceptions are?" Regina huffed, now looking around nervously. Something... something was out there. She almost blamed it on Ms. Swan's stories, but a trait she'd honed within herself, whenever she herself was in personal danger, was ringing like the blessed bells of the Vatican at mid-day prayers!

"The first is those showered in the blood of Horrors," Emma continued. "I hate to admit it, but accidents happen and sometimes civilians get in the way of knights performing their duties, and a Horror is just a demon possessed body, so blood still flows in its veins. Cursed blood. One hundred days after the blood is spilled on them, the human dies while experiencing a pain that is said to equal that of damnation itself. Before that day, they give off a scent that only Horrors can detect. It's like catnip to them."

There were figures moving in the shadows of the parking garage. Even Regina could see them by now. She was sure that Emma had seen them all along. At first, she feared that they were the demons her son's biological mother had been going on about, but some of them actually stepped into the light, if only briefly, showing that they were human. Until she recalled what she'd been saying about them possessing human bodies. Not that the Evil Queen actually believed any of that, but she was still afraid, because she had plenty of memories and experience of the evil humans could do all on their own, without the needed excuse of being possessed by soul-sucking demons.

"And? What was the other exception?" Regina asked.

"Humans stained with a level of inga that rivals that which gave birth to them," Emma answered, stopping her pacing and putting herself between Regina and the—so far—lone figure to step out of the shadows.

"What... what does that mean?" she questioned, her throat suddenly dry.

"The more inga... the more sin a human is stained with, is filled with, the more power a Horror can channel through the body. There have been legends, horror stories really, of humans so evil that multiple Horrors could possess them. Creating evils that required not just one Makai Knight, but armies of Makai Knights and Priests alike to finally vanquish them back to the Netherworld. Always at great cost. So even Horrors that already have... hosts, will seek out such individuals and either try to get them turned into a Horror, or they'll abandon their current host in favor of a more... appreciated one."

"Let me guess which category I fall into," Regina grumbled.

She blinked and where there had been one figure in the distance next to an overhead light, there were now half a dozen, in practically every direction, all surrounding Regina, though the ones nearest to Emma were giving the blond some extra space. She let out a brief scream of fright from being startled, but quickly got herself under control. All seven of them, and she made sure to count this time, looked like ordinary people. Some were better dressed than others, one of them even looked like a homeless person! The one thing they had in common was something the Evil Queen was all too familiar with, however. They were looking at her like a slab of meat placed at the center of the table for all to gaze upon.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" the one standing before Emma drawled out. He was a tall, reasonably handsome man in a business suit every bit as expensive, perhaps more so, as all of the mayor's clothes back home. Blond hair, blue eyes, white teeth, fashionably tanned skin, he was every woman's wet dream of what a male prostitute should look like. Regina honestly had no problem seeing this type of person as a demon looking to suck out her soul and devour her flesh and bones.

"A Makai Knight, setting such a... poorly imagined trap," Mr. Perfect said derisively, making Regina briefly wonder if these were all hired actors. "I'm almost insulted. If it weren't for such... unique bait setting the trap. Tell me, priestess, where is the Knight? Or is this your trap? Don't your kind usually travel in herds?"

The Horrors, if that's what they truly were Regina added silently, all laughed out loud at the joke. Emma wasn't laughing.

"Just me," she told them all, for the moment keeping her sword hidden by the folds of her coat. "After all, it is my job to hunt Horrors. I had a feeling that I'd missed some in recent weeks. Even the Watchdogs thought things were quiet. So I had to go out of town to get some quality bait."

"Hey!" Regina snapped.

"How long do you think that barrier will protect her?" he growled, stepping closer.

"She can step out any time she likes," Emma said with a shrug. "It is only to prevent Horrors from reaching her. Of course, if she does step outside of it, the protection is nullified and even if she were to step back inside it, she would no longer be protected by it."

"Good to know," he smiled with his perfectly white teeth, and then motioned to the other Horrors. They all launched themselves at Regina, jumping through the air like they'd been catapulted!

Moving faster than she'd ever thought a human could move at, even when aided by magic, Regina watched as Emma drew her sword and moved clockwise around the barrier, first blocking and then slashing or striking to knock the disguised Horrors away with strength enough to send them flying back, crashing into walls, pillars and cars alike. Mr. Perfect, however, instead of jumping, he just ran right at her, but by that point Emma had completed her circuit and was there to meet him, her straight blade meeting his suit-covered arms. And yet, the suit was not cut and Regina could have sworn she'd seen sparks go flying at the point of impact.

Unfortunately, none of the Horrors seemed to be dissuaded by this. In fact, the one Emma was currently locked in battle against was actually grinning at her! Emma's expression, however could best be described as stoic, one of focused concentration with no real strain at all.

With a roar, the suit-wearing Horror threw off her sword and lashed out, intending on throwing the knight through the barrier protecting the Evil Queen. He was disappointed in the end, as she blocked him with her sword yet again, deflecting his wild attack away and leaving his defenses open for her to slash at his unprotected torso. Rather than blood, a black substance, which seemed to form strange, evil symbols as it flew through the air to disappear into nothing came from the wound she delivered. The Horror stumbled back, injured, but quickly regenerating.

By this time the others too had recovered, but rather than swarm or attack the knight together, they all hung back, watching the confrontation between one of their own and one of those that profess to hunt them and all their kind down. One though, grew impatient. Shedding its human disguise, it revealed its true form, which wasn't that different from any other inga Horror, not having had much chance to evolve or feed to grow stronger. It was ink black, all over, covered in either a slime or mucus. Its eyes were milky white, its face that of a black skull with fangs that were more serpent than anything human-like, while on top of its head were two spider-like 'horns' that moved like the mandibles of a spider's mouth. On its back were a pair of broken 'wings' that were creepy and ugly more than anything else. All of a sudden, it rushed Regina in the protective circle while Emma was busy with the stronger Horror.

Turning at the sound, Regina screamed, and kept screaming when the Horror flew right at her... only to crash right into the barrier, lighting it up with power. The Horror only had enough time to scream once, a terrible sound that drowned out even Regina's yells of terror before it lit up with green flames all across its decrepit body and then exploding out and away from the barrier protecting the terrified mayor. The display didn't so much as distract Emma, as she'd expected it to happen before she'd even set up the situation. The Horrors, however inhuman they were, still knew fear, and backed away from the barrier, giving it a suspicious look, but keeping most of their attention on Emma and her fight.

Speaking of whom, she was fully aware of what had just transpired and exactly how outnumbered she was. Apparently she'd overestimated her abilities in how thoroughly she'd gone through the Horrors of the city, because there were more here and coming than she'd thought had been left when she went with Henry to Storybrooke. She'd be having words with that layabout Watchdog after this was over.

First things first, though.

Moving on the attack, Emma lead with her sword, focusing the majority of her attention on the immediate threat, but staying aware of the other threats in the area. The Horror knew enough that it couldn't block her sword, so rather than deflecting or stopping it as it did with her first strike, it did what it could to duck and dodge her attacks. As powerful and superhumanly fast as it was though, the first female Makai Knight ever was much faster. First, only a few cuts on the extremities, but she also managed quite a number of slashes that caused real damage to the unholy beast. Unfortunately, it was not totally on the defensive, striking back where it could, seeking to turn the tables at every opportunity. Emma had the creature's measure now though, and made sure not to leave herself open for any meaningful attack, ignoring or deflecting the punches and kicks that would only bruise at worst.

Another of the Horrors grew impatient, and when it thought the Knight was sufficiently distracted, it charged straight at her back, leaping through the air, discarding its human disguise of a chef still in kitchen attire for its enhanced form of something that looked like a bunch of peppers that grew slime mold in a vaguely humanoid shape. Sensing the attack, Emma took advantage of the opportunity, slashing down to drive the Mr. Perfect Horror away and then jumping up nearly to the ceiling and lashing out with a triple-kick combo against the flying pepper Horror, thereby knocking it all the way back to the barrier surrounding the still screaming Mayor. The Horror caught aflame as the one before it had and exploded, but by that point Emma was back fighting Mr. Perfect.

The Barrier won't be able to take many more hits like that. You only expected three Horrors, not a dozen or more. There are more on their way. Perhaps this was not such a good idea.

Emma ignored the Madougu, but silently admitted to herself that the enchanted piece of silver and gold was probably right. She needed an edge, and her armor wasn't going to cut it if there were indeed more Horrors on the way. Times like these made her wish she'd taken on a partner when one was offered to her. Makai Knights worked alone, but Makai Priests often were called upon to support Knights as partners. At the very least one could be in the barrier with Regina, reinforcing it or putting up new ones when the first fell.

Time to thin the herd, she decided, adjusting the grip in her sword.

Just as he was lunging in to hit her head with a punch, he went stumbling as she was no longer where he'd expected her to be. She'd jumped straight back, flying inches from the ground until she'd reached the barrier. Only it didn't stop her, allowing her to pass without so much as a flicker. Standing in the circle now, between Regina and the monsters that wanted to consume her, Emma brought her sword back so that it ran flat along her right bicep. Adjusting it so that the edge was caught in Tenka's teeth, she drew the blade out in a sweeping arc, sparks and green flames igniting along its length, while at the same time she stepped out of the barrier and managed to catch the nearest Horror in the arc, cutting into its flesh and igniting it with Madou flames, before stepping back into the barrier and repeating the action twice more in rapid succession, catching the Horrors off guard before they could retreat themselves.

Which just left Mr. Perfect and one other, a Nordic blond woman dressed as a secretary or personal assistant. Oddly fitting, her standing off to his side, as though they were partners or something. After seeing the three Horrors be destroyed almost simultaneously like that, a brief lull came upon the battle. He laughed and even raised his hands and started clapping, the woman at his side smiling sarcastically and clapping a bit more 'politely', which would be the polite way of saying bitchy.

"Please," Regina begged, still on the ground, tears smearing her make-up and running down her face. "Please, don't leave me. Get me out of here. I... I'll give you anything, but please, don't let... don't let those monsters near me! Please!"

Emma looked down at the broken woman at her feet, and saw past all the masks, all the lies, all the bravado and big talk of destroying her and how she was the Evil Queen. She saw the young woman, so full of hope, so full of dreams, so full of love, until monsters as bad as the Horrors around them sunk their claws into her and corrupted her into the inga stained villain before her. She saw a human being that wanted to live and have a chance to love again.

Regina almost gasped aloud when the blond knight looked down at her, not with pity or disgust or even angry pride. No, what she saw was absolute confidence and faith and hope, as she said, "Don't worry. I'll protect you. Stay here for now. I'll take you home after this."

"OK," she numbly nodded her head, a stunned feeling of awe sweeping through her as Emma stepped outside of the barrier once more.

As she crossed the circle, Emma quickly reinforced the barrier, her Makai Brush in her free hand, pumping the power of the barrier back to its peak. It briefly lit up, a dome of pure energy, makai characters floating throughout it, as the Madou flames marked the boundary where it met the cement of the floor.

"Well done, well done indeed," Mr. Perfect mocked. "It is true what they say, the female of the species is deadlier than the male. The infamous Loba, I presume? You're better than what they say about you."

"Considering I don't exactly leave survivors from my hunts," Emma smirked, getting back into her stance, blade flat against her right bicep, "I doubt there would be much to say that wasn't jokes about me being a woman. I'm not one to brag, but if you're holding anything back, Horror, now would be the time to bring them out. Otherwise I'll get bored and go home."

"Ha ha ha!" he laughed, clapping again. "Cocky. I think I like that. Tell me, Loba, how good are you, really? I've heard tales of a Makai Knight in Japan, the... ah yes, Golden Knight Garo. He's supposed to be the best the Makai Knights have to offer, isn't he? Should the title of Garo now go to you, perhaps?"

"I know of whom you speak," Emma acknowledged, keeping her senses open, anticipating an ambush any second now. "I am not Garo, and he is indeed the strongest Knight. I certainly wouldn't want to fight him. But right now, I promise you that I can defeat even him in this moment."

The Horror stopped laughing, the Secretary at his side now scowling.

"And why is that?" he asked, his voice harsh.

"Because right now I am protecting that woman, and I will not allow any harm to come to her," she vowed, drawing the flat of her blade along her armband, the metal-on-metal scraping suddenly loud in the parking garage. Sword pointed straight at the two Horrors, she concluded, "I am Loba, the Lady Knight! And I will destroy you and all Horrors like you!"

Squinting in anger, the prefect man's face twisted horribly as he dropped his human disguise and snarled, "So be it."

For a moment, a brief flicker of time, the human form was covered in a skintight covering of solid gold, as though instead of a man a statue of Adonis had been cast from the precious metal. Then the flicker passed and the statue was distorted from the perfect image of man into something far more... demonic. Other than the milky white eyes, spider-like horns, fangs and claws, once it had finished transforming it looked like a Japanese Samurai in solid gold armor. Only where the demonic face for a samurai would've been a mask to frighten enemies, it was the Horror's actual face. At the same time, the Secretary changed, where her male counterpart was gold, she was silver, and looked like some kind of Valkyrie out of Norse legends, minus the beautiful face and beautiful blond hair, adding in the face of Grendel's mother and three spiked tails growing out of the back of her head so that the skull looked more like a giant scorpion than anything else.

The preliminaries concluded, Emma nodded in turn and raised her sword above her head, keeping it parallel to the ground. Spinning it along her wrist, she cut open the glowing white halo with a crashing sound. As the heavenly light shone down all around her, her armor fell into place and they all swore they could hear the snarling growl of a wolf echoing throughout the area as the light faded and the Makai Knight Loba stood ready to do battle.

Regina stared, in shock by this point, amazed at what she was witnessing. She'd never seen nor even heard of anything like this happening. Rumpelstiltskin, her mother, the damned fairies, not even Maleficent had ever hinted at something like this being possible. Whether it be the demons—Horrors—or the magic armor that she had just seen summoned and donned with a flick of a sword, she couldn't quite be certain, but it was plain to see that the Evil Queen was very much out of her depth and had little clue as to how to deal with all of it. So, for now, she watched, and prayed that Emma would protect her.

The clock began ticking. Loba wasted no time, moving to meet the two Horrors, crescent-hilt sword at the ready, moving with a fluidity that was supernatural for an armored human, the strength and speed at which she moved almost secondary to that sight.

The Horrors played it smart, immediately splitting up and attacking the Lady Knight from multiple angles, the silver one going high and from the sides, the gold one coming at her straight on. She lashed out with her sword, sparks flying as it bounced off the gold Horror's armored skin, before jumping and twisting in mid-air, kicking the silver Horror away as she deflected its attack to the side. Blocking additional strikes from those tails that made up its 'hair' with the flat of her blade, she reoriented herself to land on her feet and slashed them away, sparks flying from the points of impact. The Horror retracted, surprised to see that its tails were what had taken the damage rather than the Knight's sword.

In the brief reprieve, Tenka took the opportunity to inform her of exactly what her opponents were.

The one that took the male host is Guldonis, and the silver one is Grenhild. They both are known to feed off of greed and are able to command lesser Horrors, but thankfully not to the degree of the Apostle Horrors. Their armored skin is tough enough that you won't be able to end this with one attack like usual.

Loba nodded her head, saying nothing for the moment.

Guldonis roared and resumed its straightforward attack, each of its talons like swords of their own. Loba stayed on the defensive, deflecting and back stepping from the swipes, punches, kicks, and thrusts. Grenhild, on the other hand, stayed back and struck from a distance, using the three tails on its head to move and strike like a scorpion's sting. Dodging those were a bit more difficult, and a few times they did get through, scratching her armor or knocking her back. Guldonis managed to land a few hits, but she made sure it wouldn't be anything too hard that could prove to be lethal at some point.

The Horrors both knew that time was against the knight. They could stay in their enhanced states all the time, except it would make drawing in food more difficult, but once a Makai Knight donned their armor, they only had a little over a minute to finish whatever the fight was and drop it once more. All they had to do was draw the fight out as long as possible.

Loba saw their plan from the start, but had one of her own in the making. So the next time that Grenhild launched her spiked tails at her, she timed it so that right as Guldonis was charging her again she charged right back, forcing the tails to go that little bit further, before falling to the ground and sliding between the Horror's legs, all in the blink of an eye. The tails did not go around or down between Guldonis's legs, instead they hit and penetrated the Horror's thighs, lower torso, and left shoulder, eliciting a wild beastly scream as it was injured by its own.

Taking full advantage while she could, Loba turned and landed several unguarded blows to the Horror. The last of which was aimed at the neck, but it had enough sense to jump forward, narrowly dodging the blade, but having the unfortunate consequence on drawing Grenhild in closer as well. Which was the whole intention behind the maneuver in the first place.

Wasting no time, she jumped back into the fray, not letting either of them keep their distance anymore, lashing out with her crescent hilt blade to bite deep into their corrupted flesh. They retaliated, striking back with everything they had, falling to baser instincts, no plan or reasoning just animal fighting. While they became more wild and nothing but a flurry of blows that no one could ever hope to block them all, it still made the fight easier for the Knight, as an enraged beast is more predictable than a calm one stalking you out of sight. Maneuvering the both of them got tricky, but soon enough she had them on either side of her, both poised to strike with everything they had, exactly what she'd been waiting for.

Leaping up into the air at the precise moment they attacked, Loba jumped over the Horrors, avoiding the attacks and allowing them to go through where she'd just been. Grenhild's tails all struck Guldonis through the chest, piercing all the way through. Guldonis's rapid strike punches all landed on Grenhild, the last of which actually went through the other Horror's chest and out the back. Both cried out in agony, as the only thing that could hurt a Horror as badly as a Makai Knight's weapon was the flesh of another Horror.

Nodding again, Loba pulled out her Madou Lighter and ran it along the length of her sword, catching it aflame with the green light of the Madou Flames. Pulling the blade back so it ran along her right bicep, the flames quickly spread across the Soul Metal Armor, powering her up and readying the Blazing Armament attack. Charging forward as though she were rocket propelled, and from a certain point of view that is exactly what she was, the Knight landed a single blow as she blazed past the restrained Horrors, the Madou Flames spreading and concentrating their purifying energies onto the damned beasts.

Coming to a halt mere feet from the edge of the barrier protecting the Mayor of Storybrooke, sword still poised to strike, but now void of the green flames that had covered her moments before, the white she-wolf stood to her feet and carefully sheathed her sword. At the same moment, the two Horrors exploded with violent force. A few car alarms went off and a number of windows were cracked, though thankfully none were close enough to have shattered. Once the explosion had passed, in a reverse of how the armor was placed, minus cutting open the halo overhead, the white and gold armor of Loba was removed with the echoing sound of a wolf's snarl, making it sound more like a roar, and a flash of light.

In the silence that followed, as even the car alarms went quiet once the dust had settled, Regina slowly stood to her feet, careful of where the barrier was and not willing to risk the danger of going without its protection just yet. She looked around and was quite frankly amazed at how little destruction came from so much violence. She briefly allowed her mind to wonder whether she could ever have believed the Knight about everything if she'd not been shown this. It also drove home exactly what it was that she had as a bargaining chip to use against these... these Makai Knights if the biological mother of her son was telling the truth about what the Curse had done for them. Protecting them from these... Horrors, that is.

"Is it over?" she weakly asked, still scared.

"No," Emma replied, sweating a bit. "But for right now, it is. Sunrise is only a half hour away. Horrors only operate at night."

"Are they like, uh, like vampires then? Sunlight hurts them?" she asked.

"Makes them sleepy and they can't change out of their human forms, which makes them almost impossible to track, but also they don't feed or possess anyone during the day either," she replied.

"So... we just have to stay here another half hour?" Regina asked.

"We could, but like I said, it's over for tonight. Tenka?" Emma looked down at her armband.

The Horrors that were gathering have all fled. Most of them have already gone under ground and are beyond my ability to detect. The rest are quickly following those. Not to worry, Madam Mayor, I will be able to sense any Horrors or any inga portals that come near you. If you'd like, I can place a small part of myself with you so that I, and by proxy, Emma will always know if you are in danger.

"Thank you, but no," she immediately declined, rubbing her sweaty palms dry on her pants leg. "I trust we're returning to Storybrooke as soon as possible? And you have said that these... Horrors cannot enter the town? Then I will trust in my safety there. Thank you for the offer though."

"Well then," Emma sighed, putting her sword away in her red coat and pulling out her Makai Brush, "we should probably get going then." She pointed the brush at the barrier, the bristles glowing with golden energy. The barrier lit up again, and then was deconstructed within moments.

"What are you doing?" Regina asked, panicked at the thought of losing her protection.

"Don't worry," the blond assured her. "Let's go pack up out stuff, and then we'll check out and be on the road just as the sun rises. We'll be back in Storybrooke long before sunset. Probably just in time for lunch."

"Don't leave me!" she cried out, hurrying to catch up with the Knight as they walked back into the hotel.

Back In Storybrooke:

They crossed the town border minutes after eight o'clock. It was a quiet drive, as neither really had anything to say. Rather than go home, Regina parked in the downtown parking lot, where she did every day on her way into work, allowing her to walk through the center of the town in order to see all the people she'd cursed going about their same routines. Except for now of course, where she did it just so she could get back to her office where her strongest liquors were kept. She didn't want that sort of thing at the house where Henry might accidentally get into it.

As they exited the car and began walking down the street toward City Hall, Regina was stopped in her tracks by a very distinctive sound. The sound of the clock tower ticking away the minutes, and chiming the half hour. Surprised at the brunette's sudden stop, Emma walked on past, stopping to look back only once she was across the street.

At the same time, coming from the other direction, Henry's therapist, who Emma had met her first night in town, looked up and said to the mayor, "Hey, how about that? Guess those rusty old innards finally straightened themselves out, huh?"

"Yes," the startled woman responded, "how about that, indeed."

"Problem?" Emma asked once the mayor had caught up with her.

"No, of course not," she immediately closed up and began walking with renewed purpose toward her office. She could feel the blond's disbelieving gaze on her the whole way there.

Secured behind the mayor's locked doors, Emma stayed back and watched as Regina went straight for a cabinet off to the right and pulled out a full decanter and glasses. "Care for a drink, my lady knight?" she asked rather sarcastically.

"You can keep calling my Miss Swan until we know each other better," Emma replied. "And no thank you. I think it is better if at least one of us keeps a clear head for this conversation."

Regina smiled and stumbled over to her desk. Picking up one of the freshly picked apples that she always kept in a fruit bowl on the edge of said desk, she offered that instead, saying, "Did you know the honey crisp tree is the most vigorous and hardy of all apple trees? It can survive temperatures as low as forty below and keep growing. It can weather any storm. I have one that I've tended to since I was a little girl... And to this day I have yet to taste anything more delicious than the fruit it offers."

"Thanks," Emma took the fruit, and then stepped closer to the woman offering it to her. "And don't think I don't recognize the metaphor. I may not know exactly what or how it happened, but the story of Snow White is pretty famous. Particularly the," she took a small bite of the apple and swallowed it, "the bit with the poisoned apple."

"Cursed apple," Regina offhandedly corrected, stepping back and taking a gulp of her alcohol before sitting down in her chair behind her desk.

Emma put the bitten apple in the center of the desk and then sat down across from the mayor. "The barrier," she said. "How does it work? What is required to make it work? And if the Curse is lifted, will it stop working?"

"The Curse is already lifting," Regina said.

"Excuse me?" Emma snapped.

"The clock," she gestured with her glass before taking another gulp. "For twenty-eight years, to the day, it has not moved. Not so much as clicked over by a single second. And all of a sudden, it is keeping perfect time. Because of you."

"Me?" Emma said, considering the facts as she knew them. With a grimace, she suddenly understood. "This is because of the savior thing, isn't it? I'm the only one who can break the curse, aren't I?"

Regina finished off her alcohol as reply.

"So, time was frozen, and now time isn't frozen. I would imagine that the alternate identities are the last aspects of the curse that would be broken with the curse itself. According to the book, the prophecy said that I would show up and then the final battle would begin. It never said anything about what happens after the curse was broken. So whether you all get sucked back to the Enchanted Forest, or you're stuck here, just with the option of cursed or not cursed, it doesn't say. I'm hoping that you can at least answer that question."

"I don't know," Regina finally admitted. "The Curse was supposed to destroy everything. As far as I know, the Enchanted Forest is now an airless void that would destroy all that traveled there. And yes, the happy endings, as Henry calls them, or alternate identities as you call them, they'll stay as they are until the curse is fully broken. By True Love's Kiss, no less."

Emma raised an eyebrow at that.

"Then we might have a problem," she said.

"Oh?" the Evil Queen leaned back in her chair, legs crossed. "And what would that be, my dear?"

"I'm not in love with anyone," Emma shrugged. "Still, the curse is responding to my presence, and the fact that I came back. Is there a way to weaken it first, perhaps?"

"Bring back the happy endings without people remembering who they were, you mean?"

"OK, there is that, I suppose. Back to our negotiations, however?"

Regina sighed and turned her chair around so she didn't have to face the blond knight, thinking over her options and what she might be able to do to put this... situation to her advantage. The only factor that she kept coming back to was the need to stall for time. She needed to plot, to plan, to figure out her next move and the next ten after that! She'd already been shown exactly how out of her depth she was with this... this Savior! She did not care for a repeat performance.

Turning back around, she said to the Makai Knight, "Come to my home, tomorrow evening. We'll have dinner. I'll have my list of demands, and you can have your list of demands, and what you can offer in way of protection for myself, my... our son, and the citizens of this community. We'll table the... the Curse talk until then. All right?"

"OK," Emma nodded. "I'll be around town, if you, y'know, need me or anything. Madam Mayor Mills."

The blond knight dipped her head in a parting bow and then as Regina turned her head to scoff, by the time she looked again, the Makai Knight had vanished without a trace. And the door was still locked and as far as she could tell hadn't even been opened. Neither had the windows, and there were no other exits from her office! Scowling, the mayor just got up and got herself another drink.

Dinner promised to be interesting, if nothing else.

End Part 2